Thursday marks the National Day of Prayer, an observance established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1952, then officially designated for the first Thursday in May in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan — who signed Public Law 100-307, surrounded by chaplains from the House and the Senate, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and clergy from several faiths.
“Our nation’s motto — ‘In God We Trust’ — was not chosen lightly,” Reagan once noted.
President Trump likely agrees.
“Americans have always found power and unity through prayer,” he notes in his official proclamation for the day, issued Wednesday by the White House.
“We once again come together to give thanks to Almighty God for the bountiful blessings He has bestowed on our great Nation and to ask for His unfailing counsel. We also acknowledge our dependence on God’s love to guide our families, communities, and our country away from harm and toward abundance and peace. Our Nation acknowledges that religious liberty is a natural right, given to us by our Creator, not a courtesy that government extends to us,” said Mr. Trump, who cited pivotal moments in American history which prompted the public to pray together for the good of all.
“Our nation’s honored tradition of prayer has sustained us and strengthened our trust that God will continue to watch over and accompany us through the best of times and the darkest hours. May we as Americans never forget the power of prayer and the greatness of our Creator. On this National Day of Prayer, let each of us, according to our own faiths, call upon God for His guidance and express our gratitude for the love and grace He bestows on us and our country,” the president advises in the proclamation.